What is Thunderbirds Beyond the Horizon?
Initially launched earlier in 2018, with previews of the show beginning in November 2018, Thunderbirds Beyond the Horizon “invites you to step on board Thunderbird 2, and be part of International Rescue’s mission.
Beat the Clock. Defeat The Hood. Save the Day.
Only you can stop the catastrophic consequences.
If you’re looking for your next theatrical adventure and a new original story, then this is the event for you. A world of immersive theatre, interactive gaming, nostalgia and a bar stocked full of Lady Penelope’s favourite cocktails!
Thunderbirds: Beyond the Horizon, is London’s newest immersive experience at The Buzz. If Alice’s Adventures Underground captured your imagination, you enjoyed the challenge of Crystal Maze, or have lived to tell the tale of Secret Cinema then this is the next live experience for you.”
It is a pop-up live, interactive theatrical show, that is being held at London’s first purpose-built venue for immersive entertainment, The Buzz, at Mercato Metropolitano. This means that the two companies behind the project: Limelight and EBP are building a brand new live theatrical space, plus the show itself, from scratch.
Location
The Buzz is located in London, a few minutes walk from both Elephant and Castle and Borough underground stations.
What will happen during Thunderbirds Beyond the Horizon?
This seems to be the show’s most closely guarded secret. What exactly will happen? Well, the most we can find right now comes from this very short teaser trailer…
So the story appears to centre around stopping one of the Hood’s plots, and at some point, you’ll be stepping aboard Thunderbird 2.
The show will run for 90 minutes with no interval and is suitable for audiences aged 8+. Children aged 8 to 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
A hybrid approach…
Many fans have been confused by Thunderbirds Beyond the Horizon and its mix of classic Thunderbirds and new Thunderbirds Are Go elements.
On the Thunderbirds Beyond the Horizon homepage, the main Thunderbird 2 graphic is the TAG version, but it is sat alongside the classic series logo…
Further down the page, you’ll spot an image of Lady Penelope and Parker from classic Thunderbirds in silhouette…
and yet the show info page proclaims Thunderbirds Beyond the Horizon to be: “A Strictly Puppet Free Zone”. We’re not sure if that’s the best phrasing to appeal to fans of the classic series…
We asked ITV/Limelight/EBP about the mixing of classic Thunderbirds and Thunderbirds Are Go, and they’ve responded:
“Thunderbirds: Beyond the Horizon is a brand new iteration of the Thunderbirds brand. It will draw on elements of the classic Gerry and Sylvia Anderson series, as well as elements of the new-generation revival Thunderbirds Are Go. Thunderbirds Are Go was of course based very closely on the original series, and each iteration of Thunderbirds will have ties and links to its roots as well as incorporating exciting new elements and surprises.”
So it seems that the official line is that Thunderbirds Beyond the Horizon isn’t one thing or the other… neither classic Thunderbirds nor Thunderbirds Are Go. Instead, it’s a new hybrid mix – but what that means for stories, characters and sets – we just don’t know yet.
A long time coming…
In a series of tweets by Richard Lewis (of Limelight), dating back to February 2017 we can see that a Thunderbirds live theatrical event has been in the works for some time.
It’s worth noting that early notes and tweets suggest that this experience was, at one point at least, going to be a ‘classic’ Thunderbirds experience.
From these tweets, you can see that a lot of work has gone in to bringing this show to life, but that it appears to have had several changes of direction during its genesis – not least from classic Thunderbirds to a hybrid Thunderbirds/Thunderbirds Are Go approach.
Will the show be touring?
We don’t believe so. Nothing so far has given any indication that the show will leave London, UK.
How do I get tickets?
Tickets for Thunderbirds Beyond the Horizon can be booked via the show’s website. They cost from £21 to £41.50 for previews and £27 to £56.50 for standard performances.
How long is the show running for?
Currently previews run from 7-14 November, with standard performance bookings being taken up until 27 January 2019.
Who are the producers of Thunderbirds Beyond the Horizon?
Limelight Productions
Limelight Productions produces, co-produces and invests in a wide variety of theatrical productions both in the UK and internationally. It specialises in the development and adaptation for the stage of established TV and literary brands. It has been responsible for all the stage presentations of the phenomenally successful Peppa Pig brand since 2009. Its latest production, Peppa Pig‘s Adventure, is touring throughout 2018. Additional properties developed for the stage include Teletubbies Live, LazyTown Live, Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom, The Fimbles Live, and Octonauts and the Deep Sea Volcano Adventure.
Other previous productions include: Ghost Stories (West End), Girls Night Out (UK tour), Good Night Mr Tom (UK tour and West End), Love Shack (UK tour), Fully Committed (West End), Babe, The Sheep Pig (UK tour) and the hit cult show, Singa-Longa ABBA (West End & UK tour). Currently, it is presenting Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em throughout the UK for a six-month tour.
In the last 10 years, Limelight’s productions and co-productions have generated in excess of £50 million worldwide at the box office and have performed to over 4 million paying customers.
Outside the UK the company currently has productions running in both Australia, the USA and Canada. Limelight is unique in the development of intellectual properties and provides of a complete range of creative and specialist skills required to bring a successful production to its audience. This includes adaptation, design, tour booking, marketing, original music and lyrics, production management, merchandise and direction. All coordinated by the operational team in the UK and via local territory partners worldwide.
In the US alone Peppa Pig’s Big Splash generated in excess of $13 million at the box office with the current follow-up production Peppa Pig’s Surprise on target to replicate the success in 2017/2018.
The Peppa shows continue to break Box Office records in the West End each year over the Christmas period.
With its proven creative base and established partners in every territory, Limelight is ideally placed to ensure the successful UK and worldwide rollout of Thunderbirds Beyond the Horizon.
ebp – Producers & General Manager
ebp is an entertainment company specialising in Live Productions and Management. Founded by Emma Brünjes in 2013 and now led by Emma and her brother, Ralph Brunjes, ebp has quickly become a leader in innovative new productions with an Olivier nomination in 2016 for Alice’s Adventures Underground and The Stage Theatre Awards nomination in 2017 for Innovation.
Productions include: Private Parts (UK Tour); Katie Piper: What’s in My Head (UK Tour); Henry Blofeld: 78 Retired (UK Tour); Joe Stilgoe’ s Christmas at the Lyric (Lyric Hammersmith); Alice’s Adventures Underground 2017 (The Vaults); Adventures In Wonderland 2017 (The Vaults); Arlene! The Glitz, The Glamour, The Gossip (UK Tour); Graeme Swann’s Great British Spin Off with Henry Blofeld (UK Tour); Ned Bolting Bikeology (UK Tour); Lastminute.com Edinburgh Comedy Awards (Edinburgh Festival Fringe); Joe Stilgoe: Songs on Film (UK Tour & Regent’s Park Theatre); Dead Funny (Vaudeville Theatre); David Gower, Chris Cowdrey & The Holy Bail (UK Tour & Lyric Theatre); Dinner at the Twits (The Vaults); Nina Conti: In Your Face (Criterion Theatre and UK Tour); The Game’s Afoot (Madame Tussauds); My Fair Lady 60th Anniversary Celebration (St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden); Alexander Armstrong: A Year Of Songs (UK Tour & London Palladium); Alice’s Adventures Underground 2015 (The Vaults); Adventures In Wonderland 2015 (The Vaults); Wonderland Sessions 2015 (The Vaults); Freddie Flintoff: 2nd Innings (UK Tour, Palace Theatre); Blofeld & Baxter: Rogues on the Road (UK Tour); The Three Lions (UK Tour & St James Theatre); Programming for City Of London Festival (The Bowler Hat); Dame Diana Rigg: No Turn Unstoned (Edinburgh Festival Fringe); Blofeld & Baxter: Memories of Test Match Special (UK Tour); Meow Meow: Feline Intimate (London Wonderground); Secret Cinema 21: Millers Crossing (Hornsey Town Hall); The Boy with Tape on his Face: Cornucopia (Palace); The EL Train (Hoxton Town Hall);.
General Management: A Little Princess (Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall); Grumpy Old Women To The Rescue (UK Tour); Grumpy Old Women LIVE (UK Tour); The Future of Small Scale Touring Symposium (Paines Plough, Royal Exchange, Manchester)
In May 2016 Emma joined forces with her brother Ralph to set-up Buzz Tickets, a bespoke new live ticketing provider.
Representation: David Gower, Henry Blofeld, Joe Stilgoe, Ben Cajee & Daniel Norcross.
Awards/Nominations include: 2016 Olivier Awards – nominated for Best Entertainment and Family; The Stage Awards 2017 – Innovation Award nomination (w/Les Enfants Terribles), The Stage Theatre Power List 2017 (w/Les Enfant Terribles). The Hospital 100 Club Awards – Nominated in Theatre & Performance.
Is Anderson Entertainment involved in Thunderbirds Beyond the Horizon?
No, not at this time.
That’s all we know at this time folks! But we’re hoping to interview Limelight in due course, and that interview will be on the Gerry Anderson Podcast.
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